I have been following B of Briz‘s singles leading to this moment, and now it is time: EP Solace has been released and it is everything it was built up to be. A series of spoken word pieces that offer various love letters to life and togetherness. In artistic and obscure waves of synth and bass, B delicately crafts a series of songs that offer peace and understanding, introspection and promise, advice and acceptance for the more jagged parts of us.
The first single we were introduced to, ‘Profoundly sick society‘, set the tone for the entire release. Repeatedly asking what we are all meant to do as the world collapses around us through warped, meandering bass and looping beats.
The way ‘A spark in your heart‘ opens with this deep and quirky bass feels like an outstretched hand. This track offers unconditional support and connection so long as you are willing to do the same. B promises to be there through it all. With quirky kazoo-like sounds and lilting piano, everything moves with lightness and hope.
A striking guitar screams through the fog of sound in ‘Pale horse‘. A darkly peaceful song about the value of living a life that meets death with peace. Making choices that one can be proud of, or at the very least understanding of, when that last moment comes.
‘The founding of the town‘ is another song with lyrics spoken over uplifting music, we are given the importance of cycles and our place in them. Never a beginning or end. A lesson to always remember what you once were and look forward to what you will be. To be willing to teach and learn forever.
‘Reality forward’ has a desert-like haze throughout the instrumental. The entire song is like an oasis. A discussion on our place in the universe. A small introduction to the law of cycles and the belief that we create what we experience. How we can put in the effort to make things into a greater experience than what we see. If we try, we have the power.
In a sharp change of tone, ‘Taken under solace’ is more idle. It’s sunny instrumental feels like relaxing in a waiting room or a coffee shop. And yet, the lyrics may be the darkest ones on the EP. A eulogy in joyful keys. “She” is taken to the end, as another version of the universe experiencing itself. Another story for the library of the cosmos. A life lived to its fullest and ended with peace.
B truly flexes her Ph.D. in Philosophy on this release, as well as her passions for feminism and social justice. It’s a beautiful and thought-provoking release for everyone who is looking for a light in their own darkness. Or even those looking for affirmation that trying is worth more than you would think.
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